Red Kayak

Brady loves life on the Chesapeake Bay with his friends J.T. and Digger. But developers and rich families are moving into the area, and while Brady befriends some of them, like the DiAngelos, his parents and friends are bitter about the changes. Tragedy strikes when the DiAngelos’ kayak overturns in the bay, and Brady wonders if it was more than an accident.

Overview

Brady loves life on the Chesapeake Bay with his friends J.T. and Digger. But developers and rich families are moving into the area, and while Brady befriends some of them, like the DiAngelos, his parents and friends are bitter about the changes. Tragedy strikes when the DiAngelos’ kayak overturns in the bay, and Brady wonders if it was more than an accident. Soon, Brady discovers the terrible truth behind the kayak’s sinking, and it will change the lives of those he loves forever. Priscilla Cummings deftly weaves a suspenseful tale of three teenagers caught in a wicked web of deception.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

“Cummings has created a multifaceted story that is as much about the families and life in the Chesapeake as it is about a prank gone awry. Brady’s bighearted cousin Carl, his supportive father, and the anguished Mrs. DiAngelo are particularly well-developed characters who are pivotal in Brady’s understanding of the path he must choose. This well-crafted story will have broad appeal.”—School Library Journal

KLIATT

Cummings has written for slightly younger readers in her previous books, Saving Grace, Autumn Journey, and A Face First. This is a solid YA novel, featuring a thoughtful 13-year-old narrator named Brady who must deal with some serious moral choices when a little neighbor boy dies. The setting is the Eastern Shore, Maryland, and Brady's father is a waterman, making a living catching crabs. One stress point is that the crab harvest is smaller every year and the family and the neighborhood are suffering financially because of this. Brady is a skilled waterman himself, which is why he is called out to help in the search for the red kayak when a storm comes up and a woman and her child are missing. He finds the little boy but even with CPR, the child dies. This is a terrible situation for Brady, but it becomes much worse when he suspects that his two best friends caused the kayak to sink. Indeed, eventually Brady decides to tell what he knows, which means his friends are accused of second-degree murder. This is a memorable story of a young person struggling with grief and guilt. Each character is believable, including the adults in the story. There is plenty of action to appeal to readers, and the angst will be something all YAs, especially those Brady's age, will be able to understand. KLIATT Codes: JRecommended for junior high school students. 2004, Penguin, Dutton, 209p., Ages 12 to 15. Claire Rosser

VOYA

Thirteen-year-old Brady lives an idyllic life near the Chesapeake Bay with good buddies and loving parents-his dad is a waterman. But the region's social fabric is fraying as watermen and environmentalists clash over use of the bay. Farmland is snapped up by outsiders for conversion into estates with splashy mansions. One such home has gone up next door to Brady, and his pals resent being booted off land where they have roamed freely until now. The boys talk revenge, and when they spot the new owner's kayak out on a dangerous day, they fail to call a warning. Tragedy results, heightened because it was not the owner in the kayak but his wife and child. Brady joins the rescue effort and performs heroically, but to no avail. A death occurs and further tragedy is revealed when Brady finds out just why the kayak sank. Should he tell? The truth will forever change the lives of those he loves. With this finely crafted novel, Cummings, author of A Face First (Dutton, 2001/VOYA February 2001) and Saving Grace (Dutton, 2003/VOYA October 2003), firmly establishes herself as an outstanding writer for early teens. The writing here is direct and clear; the setting, characterizations, and voices ring with authenticity; the situation is tense and the stakes high. Cummings handles Brady's decision making with realism made powerful by its lack of didacticism. Right to the end, the outcome is uncertain. This book is a gem. Buy it for both school and public libraries. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P M J (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Dutton, 224p., Ages 11 to 15. Mary E. Heslin

Children's Literature

Brady Parks thought he had a normal life: going to school, hanging out with friends, and working with his dad on the river. Then one day his dad asks for help searching for a missing neighbor and her son who were kayaking on the river. Brady finds Ben, the toddler who Brady had baby-sat earlier that year, unconscious in the cold water. Brady performs CPR until the paramedics can take over and take Ben to the hospital. Brady is declared a local hero. Unfortunately, Ben dies the following day due to complications from exposure. While grieving over Ben's death, Brady discovers that the kayak sinking was not an accident, it was sabotage. Brady has to decide if he should go to the police or protect his friends. This is a great book for kids who need to see that doing the right thing is not always easy, especially when it is going against friends or peer-pressure. With issues such as death and betrayal dominating the storyline, this is a perfect choice for pre-teens who have to deal with tough issues and harsh secrets. 2004, Dutton Children's Books, Ages 12 up. Joella Peterson

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Brady, J.T., and Digger are friends from working-class families who live along the Chesapeake Bay, where crabbing and oyster fishing are a way of life and an extra source of income. Their parents' resentment toward developers and rich summer families rubs off on J.T. and Digger but not Brady, who befriends the DiAngelos and their toddler, Ben. When Mrs. DiAngelo and Ben go out in their new kayak on a cold, foggy morning, it overturns. Brady joins the rescue team and finds Ben barely alive in the water but, despite his heroic efforts to save him, the two-year-old dies from hypothermia. Once it is apparent to Brady that J.T. and Digger may have sabotaged the kayak as a prank, he faces a gut-wrenching, moral decision to tell a truth that would betray his friends and reveal his own, indirect culpability. The first-person approach works well here, and Brady's 13-year-old voice is fresh and lighthearted at times and introspective and grief-stricken at others. Cummings has created a multifaceted story that is as much about the families and life in the Chesapeake as it is about a prank gone awry. Brady's bighearted cousin Carl, his supportive father, and the anguished Mrs. DiAngelo are particularly well-developed characters who are pivotal in Brady's understanding of the path he must choose. This well-crafted story will have broad appeal.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A courageous teen's moral dilemma-and how he comes to terms with it-underscores this well-written, sometimes gripping story. A young child, for whom 15-year-old Brady Parks once baby-sat, dies after his family's kayak sinks during an outing. Brady's valiant attempts to revive little Ben actually get him to breathe for a few minutes. Sadly, the tiny boy succumbs and Brady's plagued with guilt and grief. His sorrow is nothing, though, compared with the shock of discovering that the tragedy was the result of a malicious prank by his two best friends. Even worse is Brady's discovery that he himself unwittingly gave them the idea. This sickening fact, reluctance to rat on his pals, and the thought that he, too, could be criminally charged in the death keep Brady silent. In the end, though, Brady knows what he must do. The bland title and cover might keep kids away from this strong effort. Too bad: it deserves an audience. (Fiction. 11-14)

Read an Excerpt

We did not waste time. Crack of dawn the next morning we made our way down to the creek, where a thick mist rose above the still, dark waters. A great blue heron squawked at us for making too much noise and, indignant, took off from a nearby bank as we boarded my father’s boat.

Miss Amanda’s deck was slick with dew. We stepped carefully so’s not to slip as we settled the gear on board.

“I’ll be careful!” I called back over my shoulder as I went up front to turn the key in the ignition. Once the engine was running, I adjusted the radar controls on board the boat while my father reached over to the dock and cast off the lines.

“Go ahead!” Dad hollered as he tossed the last line into the boat.

Leaning into the front window, I looked hard to port to be sure I was clearing the last piling as we pulled out.

Dad went to work getting the grapnel hook ready. He didn’t think it was necessary to use the oyster dredger. I was glad, because it would have taken most of a day and a half to get the contraption hooked up. Dad said that if the kayak was still there, we could snare it with the grapnel hook, which was actually an extra anchor he kept on board. It had several pointy flukes on it, so if it caught hold, we could wrap the lines around the machine that acts like a high–powered winch to pull in crab pots and hoist it up that way.

I hadn’t slept much, but I was alert and pumped full of adrenaline. Finding the kayak and getting the truth out once and for all was my mission. It didn’t matter what kids at school thought or what happened afterward. It was something I had to do.

The motor hummed as we moved out, the only boat on the creek. Heavy, gray clouds obscured the sunrise, and a few raindrops already warned us it wasn’t going to be a beautiful day. But I didn’t care. We needed the rain. It was long overdue, I thought, lifting my eyebrows, just as what I was doing was long overdue.

When Dad came forward and took over steering, I went back to sit on the engine box. We entered the Corsica and then went directly to the opposite bank and the opening off the river where I had discovered Ben and where I’d spotted the sunken kayak last April. As soon as I saw the rotten pilings jutting out of the water, the events of last April tumbled forward in my mind and my stomach lurched.

Backing off on the throttle, Dad carefully maneuvered the boat through the narrow channel along the sandbar. Then he threw the boat in neutral and came back toward me.

I stood at the side, staring into the water near the tip of the sandbar. “Right there,” I said glumly, pointing and already disappointed. “That’s where I saw the kayak last April.”

We both leaned over the edge, trying to get a better look. Although it was starting to sprinkle, the water was clear and shallow enough that we could see the sandy bottom. But there was no sign of the kayak, nor any part of it.

The feeling in my stomach got worse. I’d always known there was a good possibility we wouldn’t find it.

“You’re sure it was here?” Dad asked.

“Positive,” I replied. The scowl on my forehead deepened.

“Why didn’t you say somethin’ about it last spring?” Dad asked.

I shook my head. “I didn’t think it mattered then.”

My father didn’t ask why it mattered now. He walked forward to a second set of gearshifts in the back of the boat and moved her up a few feet. Again, both of us peered into the river. But the water was deeper—and darker, too. We couldn’t see a thing. Plus the rain came harder, churning the surface.

“Not the best day to be doin’ this,” Dad commented.

“Please. Can we look just a little longer?” I begged.

Dad sighed. Then he put a foot up on the railing and studied the water. “Brady, isn’t this the old fishin’ hole where you and J.T. and Digger used to come? Place was right smart of fish if I ’member correctly.”

“It is,” I acknowledged. “Remember I told you? We went swimming here, too. On the other side of the sandbar, it drops off big time. Most of that old dock was here then. We could climb up and dive off.”

While he listened, Dad rubbed his chin with one hand, the way he does when he’s thinking hard on something. “This is where she tried to come in, right?”

“Right,” I told him. “She put Ben on that piling—the one right there, but then she got pulled back out by the current.”

Dad nodded. “The tides are strong comin’ in and out of this channel. Especially in the spring.”

“You think the kayak went out with the tide, then?” I asked.

Dad stopped rubbing his chin. He resettled his hat. “Not necessarily. I think what you’ve got here, Brady, is a littoral drift.”

“A literal what? What’s that?”

“Littoral drift,” he repeated. “Look.” He took his foot down, pointed behind us, and swept his finger back and forth. “Tides comin’ in and out this openin’ here push the sand up along the edge, creatin’ the sandbar. But as the waves come around the corner, you get this swirlin’ effect.

It creates a backwater eddy—a dimple, if you will. That would be your swimmin’ hole. I’d wager a guess that if the kayak sank anywhere near that sandbar, it got sucked into that hole.”

“Let’s drop the pole and see!”

“Slow down. We’ve got to move closer to do that, and I don’t want to run aground, Brady.”

Carefully, we inched the Miss Amanda around the sandbar without beaching her until we were directly above the deep water. Dad set out one anchor so we wouldn’t drift and run aground, then he fetched the pole we’d brought along and slowly lowered it into the water to feel around down below.

It didn’t take long. Dad hit something right off. Something hard and long. We pulled in the pole and threw out the grapnel hook, watching the attached rope spin from its coil on the boat floor.

“Whew! Must be fifteen, twenty feet!” Dad declared. He bounced the hook up and down until he felt it catch hold. “You ready we start haulin’ in?”

“I’m ready,” I said.

“All right, then, let’s go.”

Dad wrapped the line around the bar of the machine that pulls in the crab pots and started moving it slowly. It hummed and made a grating noise.

I stood beside my father and waited, holding my breath, until we saw something break through the surface.

It was a grill. Somebody’s damned old Weber grill.

“Must have fallen in off the old dock,” Dad said.

“Shoot!” I muttered.

After hauling the piece of junk over the side, I kicked it.

“Can we try again, Dad?”

A little puzzled, he shrugged anyway. “Sure.”

We heaved the anchor back in. When it landed, Dad pulled up on the line a few times until he felt as though he had hooked something else. Again, the machine did its work. But after a minute or so, it ground to a stop.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Dad shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Is it too heavy?”

“Shouldn’t be. But maybe,” he said. “If it’s the kayak, it could be full of sand.”

He tried to get the machine started, but no luck. “Here, grab the line and we’ll haul it in,” he said.

I stood behind my father, and each of us got hold of the rope. Then, hand over fist, we pulled. It took all the strength each of us had and then some. I was bracing myself to see a dumb tree branch or cement block somebody had tossed in to anchor a buoy come up. So when I saw the tip of that dirty red kayak break the surface, I was ready to cry with relief.

“Look a–there!” Dad exclaimed. “Be damned!”

Finding it this easy, I knew it was meant to be.

The kayak started slipping, though.

“Don’t let go!” Dad shouted.

I jammed my feet against the gunnels and pulled as hard as I could.

“Hold on!” he shouted.

With one more tug, Dad was able to reach over the side and catch the opening of the kayak with his hands. I did the same, and the two of us pulled with everything we had.

The kayak weighed a ton because it was full of water and covered with slimy mud and algae. But we got it up over the rail.

“Watch out!” Dad hollered.

Jumping back, we let it drop heavily inside the boat.

We were whipped from the effort. Dad sat on the engine box while I knelt on the floor. I tried to catch my breath, all the time staring at the kayak, which had landed bottom up, water and sand dripping onto Miss Amanda’s deck. A tiny crab fell out and skittered into a corner.

The steady, gentle rain felt good on my face. The other thing that rain did, it gradually washed away the gunk from the underside of the kayak. In slow motion, right before our eyes, little rivulets of rainwater pushed aside the slime until we could see, my dad and I, how three holes had been drilled into the bottom.

Dad didn’t say anything at first. He got up, then squatted beside the kayak, touching two of the holes before he looked at me.

He wore a pained expression I’ll never forget. “What is this, Brady?” he asked.

I swallowed hard, and with Dad in front of me, one of his hands still resting on the kayak’s hull and the rain pouring down, I told him.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I am in the seventh grade and i live in washington. im your average prissy stuck up snob, and i absolutely HATE reading. i think its a waste of time and that their isn't one good reason for it. but i was forced to write a report on an adventure/mystery book for school. i just picked this book up off the shelf and didn't even read the cover. it grabbed onto me and i couldn't put it down. i actually got in trouble at school for reading when i was suppose to be working! my friends and parents couldn't figure out what had gotten into me. i LOVED this book and i recommend it to ANYONE. it is a fanomenal book.

BesterReaderEver7

More than 1 year ago

We are currently reading this book in class, and I am loving it.
A twisted tale of a boy named Brady who is forced to choose between squealing on his two best friends or forever hold the most dangerous secret ever.
I recommend this book to people of all ages. It's filled with mystery and sadness, a great book!

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

i loved this book, becuase of how good the author grabs you and makes it so you want to cry, lauph and feel pitty for the main character. you will feel the same things that the character feels.

Tammy Garrett

More than 1 year ago

This book has a asome plot with all of its twists and trunes

Majo12

More than 1 year ago

I cannot believe how good this book was. At the beginning I was like " this isn't very exciting". But then i reached the climax of the story and its like "wow, this is a great book". the author uses amazing resources to make sure it sounds as real as possible, and it really worked. I can really relate to the characters. She puts in lots of details which really makes the story move along nicely. I could not believe how well the story fit together. It was a mystery while it was a breath taking story. It was truly a sad tale, but it keeps you reading!

Guest

More than 1 year ago

when the red kayak sinks of the Diangalos and they have a tragedy Brady has to choose between friendship and the write thing what will he do read the book and find out o ya it starts out slow but then you cant put it down

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Great book reading it in english class asked my mom to get it for me so I could get ahead in class. I just can't stop reading it and I am not the type who read all the time

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Oh my goodness this book is amazing!! I read it for a book club when i was like ten and loved it!! (Even though it was really sad) this is a must read!!!!!

chickenTM

More than 1 year ago

The Red Kayak was a very good book. The book left you wondering what happened next at every turn of the page. It started off with three boys being best friends. Throughout the book their friendship spirals downward as Brady, one of the characters, finds out a horrible secret but is to afraid what will happen if he tells. Brady is concerned about JT and Digger and what will happen to them.
This book was surprising and had lots of twist and turns. Everything written in this book leads up to a perfect exciting climax. I would suggest that anyone reading this review should read this book. This book was so good that I could not put it down.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

this book is the BEST book i have ever read! i usually dont like to read but i couldnt put this book down! i give it 100 stars out of 10!!!!!!(if i could)

Guest

More than 1 year ago

I could not put this book down-- it was suspensful from beginning to end. Out of all the books I've read (and there have been many), this definitely ranks near the top. I highly recommend this book for school or simply pleasure.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

I don't exactly have a passionate love for reading, but this book really inspired me to continue reading. Instead of just turning on the tube.

Guest

More than 1 year ago

Brady Parks is a 13 year old 8th grade student at Alexander Holmes Middle School, located in Maryland off the Chesapeake Bay. He and his two best friends JT and Digger are caught in a terrible mess when a joke goes bad. Brady's story is full of suspense and surprises. I couldnt put the book the book down. You can really wrap your mind around this heart warming tale of a wonderful young man, who has had his share of sorrow. Will Brady make the right decision?? You'll have to read for yourself. This book is for the young and the oldER (like myself). I'll be reading Saving Grace, A Face First, and Autumn Journey soon. Priscilla Cummings has done a splended job at keeping this YA read very interesting!

Guest

More than 1 year ago

Priscilla Cummings masterfully tells a multi-faceted, gripping tale through a 13 year- old boy's eyes.This young man, Brady, the main character and narrator of the Red Kayak talks right from his heart.As readers, we are allowed into Brady's dilemas and heart wrentching decisions involving his two best friends and a serious tragedy. A three year- old in the story made a touching analogy between someone 'justing being mean' and not being a 'bad' person overall.Cummings makes me feel like I could be right there living near the Chesapeake Bay area where fisherman, crabbers, and life on the water intermingle.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

My literacy teacher read this in school, and a suggesstion, read book two and preorder book three.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Red Kayak
This book is about a young boy named Brady and a life changing situation. In this book a person very dear to Brady dies and he finds himself depressed for a while. He spends his days at home doing nothing. When he realizes this he tells himself that he has to pick himself up and do something with his life. Unfortunaly that life changing situation stays to haunt him.
I really liked a lot of things from this book. The first thing being that the characters could really be people in the real world. There wasn’t anything super “special” about them. They weren’t rich or famous. They were simply like us. I also liked that this book teaches that you should listen to your heart or at least what you think is right. In this story Brady learns that it is okay to go with your gut and do what you think is right even if you think it will affect your family and friends in a negative way. He learns that not always does doing the right thing have such a bad effect. Another thing that I liked was that it was a quick read. Coming in with 208 pages, I found it to be just right for me. It’s short enough for people who may not enjoy reading or for those who need to read a book before a deadline.
I did not like that it could sometimes become boring. It almost seemed as if the author wanted to simply write more for no reason. There was one chunk of the book, that in my opinion, that could have gone unread. This part of the book was the time that Brady was trying to recover from his unfortunate situation. It felt like I was living Brady’s day to day life of staying at home or going to work. In my opinon I thought the author could have skipped this part and carried on with the end. I might feel this way because I can get bored easily when reading books, so I like the action and the constant plot twists. I would recommend this book because it is an interesting story of a tradegy and learning to grow up. It’s a book that helps prove that your actions don’t go unpunished.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I would recommend this read to any middle school student, because it shows that every decision you make affects your future. This book really focuses on the pros and cons of making a big decision that impacts yours and others futures. It's definitely an Adventure/mystery book in my opinion.
Throughout the book you get to view the story through our main character Brady eyes, who is a teenage boy with no siblings, The book also focuses on his two best friends J.T and Digger. Digger has a hatred for the DiAngelos, the family that took his grandfather's farm and built a modern home on it. Digger is not allowed anywhere on the property. J.T is not really described same as a lot of the characters, if I could change the book I would put more detail in the characters.
Another thing about the book that I enjoyed was that it was fairly short and very interesting in some parts, for example in the beginning when action starts and towards the end when you are on the edge to find out what Bradly future for holds. One con about the book is it's really slow in the middle, and there is really no reason for it to be there, most of it is just the idea of everyday life. Another pro is that any 13-14 year old can really compare themselves to the book. For example brady’s decision about telling the facts he is finding out or whether not to tell someone what he now knows.
So in conclusion this is rather short book with some very intense and rushing moments towards the beginning and at the end. Although you could read the beginnings, skip the middle and read the end, the book really shows a lot about growing up and doing the right things. Over all this book was a seriously good book and I will have walked away with a new understanding of myself and my decisions.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Brady, a thirteen year old boy, is supposed to be enjoying his summer before eighth grade. His hobbies usually include oyster and crab fishing with his friends. Instead, he ends up pondering over several dreadful decisions when he finds a horrifying clue to an unsolved mystery. After the kayak incident, Brady begins to work for Mrs. D'Angelo, a victim to unfolding crime.
The several pros in this book easily outway the drawbacks. The first thing I really like is how the author annotates the adventure at the beginning of the story. It is quick paced and makes you feel like you are in the action, with your heart pounding and body chilled by the frigid water. A second thing I would complement on is the diversity of characters. Brady, the main character in the book has two friends, one with parents that abuse each other and another whom has an ailing father with a warm farm family. I think that the variance of characters and personalities in the book makes this a pleasing read for everyone. The last part that I really enjoyed about the story is the length of the chapters. For me, they were a perfect length to read before bed. Sometimes the book was so suspenseful that I had to double up and finish two.
On the other hand, I did find a couple things that bothered me. The book never says what happens to the Di Angelos after the couple goes through a very depressing time. Another part I wish the author added was an epilogue that explained what happened to the boys after the story was ended. The last part I would change in the book is to remove the bland section in the middle of the book and add action there. Between about page fifty and one-hundred sixty, there is almost no conflict.
Overall it was an intriguing book with many compliments and very few complaints. I think teenagers and adults alike could make connections to Brady’s life and become well attached to the plot. This will be a suitable read for anyone who wants page-turning realistic fiction and mystery book.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I gave this book the benefit of the doubt, but it still was dull. I hope I am not alone, but I read to leave Earth. Give me Solo, give me Gandalf. But not a cruddy court case, I want spaceships and f*ing splosions not a kid with an emotional disorder, and the crime was as easy as an episode of Scooby Doo, but less fun.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Read this book in 1 hour and could not put it down. When i read it again i thought it was supposed to have him and his brother and then his brother gets hypothermia, and thts how it all leads up to the murder.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Awesome book

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Suspensful and gripping... I loved it!! Had to read it for a school project and loved every page!!

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Must read. I am a professional writer and this is one of the besr books i have ever read